"Man shall not live by bread alone…." (Matthew 4:4)

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Charles Spurgeon brings hope to the Saturday night sinner (and all of us) as he speaks of Jesus Christ, using this text from Hebrews 2:18:“He himself hath suffered being tempted.”

It is a common-place thought, and yet it tastes like nectar to the weary heart—Jesus was tempted as I am. You have heard that truth many times: have you grasped it? He was tempted to the very same sins into which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common manhood. It is a dark room which you are going through, but Jesus went through it before. It is a sharp fight which you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the same enemy.

Let us be of good cheer, Christ has borne the load before us, and the blood-stained footsteps of the King of glory may be seen along the road which we traverse at this hour.

There is something sweeter yet—Jesus was tempted, but Jesus never sinned. Then, my soul, it is not needful for thee to sin, for Jesus was a man, and if one man endured these temptations and sinned not, then in his power his members may also cease from sin. Some beginners in the divine life think that they cannot be tempted without sinning, but they mistake; there is no sin in being tempted, but there is sin in yielding to temptation.

Herein is comfort for the sorely tempted ones. There is still more to encourage them if they reflect that the Lord Jesus, though tempted, gloriously triumphed, and as he overcame, so surely shall his followers also, for Jesus is the representative man for his people; the Head has triumphed, and the members share in the victory. Fears are needless, for Christ is with us, armed for our defence. Our place of safety is the bosom of the Saviour. Perhaps we are tempted just now, in order to drive us nearer to him. Blessed be any wind that blows us into the port of our Saviour’s love! Happy wounds, which make us seek the beloved Physician.

Ye tempted ones, come to your tempted Saviour, for he can be touched with a feeling of your infirmities, and will succour every tried and tempted one.

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This morning I was told that the increasingly painful rash on my back & neck was a case of shingles. It’s only a bit of discomfort, but still unwelcome and a bother. Why this? Why now, I wonder. Perhaps re-reading that old blog post from my earliest days (11/30/05) would be profitable… Let me re-post it here for you too.

“Adversity is never a solitary visitor to the soul” writes Raymond Brown. “Paul believed that trouble enables discerning Christians to unearth hidden treasures,” he adds, with an eye to 2 Corinthians 1.

When a difficulty, opposition, illness, persecution or other such adversity appears on the doorstep of your life, it does not arrive alone, but comes with that ever-welcome friend: the Comfort of a gracious God.

But there’s a two-fold catch here:
(1) you need to be a Christian to be able to entertain both visitors at the same time, and, (2) you need to be a watchful, discerning Christian, to welcome this second guest.

• Christian: one who is, by faith, in a right relationship with his Creator God through the divine person and gracious work of Jesus Christ.

• discerning: the Christian who, knowing that God cares and is sovereign, looks for Him to “work all things together for good” [Romans 8:28].

• comfort: the manifest presence of the love and grace of God in the people, things or circumstances He sends to us. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians chapter 1:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

If you are trusting Christ, seek the comforts promised you in the Bible whenever adversities coming knocking. Take it from Paul — God knows what He is doing on cloudy and on sunny days!

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Last night at church we had a fun time of fellowship. We welcomed the new year with the reading of this Scripture and a reminder that we are closer to the return of Christ, and His making all things new. Rejoice in expectant hope! Behold all that awaits the faithful…..

Revelation 21
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Here is a clear article written by evangelical Christian journalist, Cal Thomas. Friends, we must be unequivocal with the biblical terms for our faith. This issue is one believers should take an interest in. (I hope to post on the same question of John McCain in the near future).

Cal Thomas includes several quotes from Obama, then comes to this inescapable conclusion Continue reading →

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I can still remember the day, well over a decade ago I was reading comments on Psalm 119 by my favorite Puritan, Thomas Manton, and ran across this helpful explanation of the exercise of faith. The verse from the psalm is this: 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart (esv).

Manton: “FAITH is often expressed by forms of motion: coming, running, going, seeking. Thus is the whole tendency of soul towards God expressed by terms that are proper to outward motion. COMING notes our serious resolution and purpose to make after God. GOING note the practice or progress in that resolution. RUNNING nots the fervour and earnestness of the soul to enjoy God. And SEEKING, that notes our diligence in the use of means.”

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Matthew 4:4

It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
THE BREADLINE aims to help you feed upon the Word of God for the good of your soul. Posts focus on the Bible, giving insights and commentary to help us understand and apply the truth of Scripture.
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Who is Thomas Manton?

He was a Puritan pastor, one of those bold, biblical folks living out their Christian faith in a broken world (in the 1600's). His love for and knowledge of the Bible is seen in his sermons and his books (22 volumes of published materials). His three volumes on PSALM 119 [available from the BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST link above] are among my favorites.